FishProfiles.com Message Forums

My fish having been living with a friend of mine who also keeps his own fish, cos I've moved into uni accomodation and can't keep them here. So I went round there the other day, the tank is 1/4 empty and FULL of poo, pleco poo EVERYWHERE. His tanks are fine, but then he doesnt have plecs and doesnt realise that they poo a lot!!

So - I have a tank which has some greasy scum on the surface, slimy poo on the bottom and, i guess (no testkit) sky-high nitrates!!

Where am I goign to start? How to I clean this tank without causing a complete change in conditions?

-------------------------------------------------
I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

You can't Tiny.

Depends on the fish. How do they seem? Everybody perky? No visible signs of distress?

Check the pH. If the pH hasn't bottomed out and if all the fish seem in reasonably good health you are going to need to just start by giving the tank a good gravel cleaning.

Rinse the filter media in tank water prior to starting so that it catches as much debris as possible during your cleaning session. After you have finished cleaning the gravel either clean the media again or replace it with new.

If you are worried about a fluctuating pH you can do the vacuuming of the gravel saving the water, let it settle in the bucket and syphon 50% of what you took out back in to the tank repacing the other 50% with fresh water.

Adjustments should be made...

When living situations change making it difficult to maintain a tank, fish size and species should also change.

The Plecos should be removed and replaced by a smaller and less waste-producing species.

Never trust anyone to maintain a tank for you. It's just not practical.

--garyroland.

Vero Beach, Florida.

well, I did it - took 1.5 hours, but the tank is clean and doing well. PH was fine - I have very buffered water here, so it takes a lot to cause a crash. Fish seem fine.

From now on, I can do fortnightly water changes, it was just over the summer when I couldnt get up here easily. Shouldnt get that bad again

-------------------------------------------------
I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

In the States we consider a fortnight (the term not used much) as two weeks.

Just in case you're told to clean your tank every "fortnight".

--garyroland.

--Vero Beach, Florida.

fortnight still a day to day term over here Gary.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!